Endoscopic and laparoscopic instruments currently available in the market are extremely difficult to learn to operate and use, mainly due to a lack of dexterity in their use. For instance, when using a typical laparoscopic instrument during surgery, the orientation of the tool of the instrument is solely dictated by the locations of the target and the incision. These instruments generally function with a fulcrum effect using the patient's own incision area as the fulcrum. As a result, common tasks such as suturing, knotting and fine dissection have become challenging to master. Various laparoscopic instruments have been developed over the years to overcome this deficiency, usually by providing an extra articulation often controlled by a separately disposed control member for added control. However, even so these instruments still do not provide enough dexterity to allow the surgeon to perform common tasks such as suturing, particularly at any arbitrarily selected orientation.
The above identified related earlier filed applications describe an improved instrument employing bendable section on the instrument itself.
An object of the present invention is to provide a guide device or apparatus that can be used with either conventional or the above identified instruments for laparoscopic, endoscopic or other surgical procedures and that allows the surgeon to readily manipulate the tool or working end of the surgical instrument with greater dexterity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved surgical instrument and guide that has a wide variety of applications, including, but not limited to, through incisions, through natural body orifices or extending intraluminally.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide and improved surgical instrument and associated guide wherein the guide has a locking feature to keep the instrument in a selected position.